There has been known an automatic start and stop device for an engine of a vehicle that coast-travels with the engine automatically stopped and a start clutch being in a disconnected state during deceleration in which only a slight torque is required in a vehicle travel by a sailing stop control (for example, Patent Document 1).
In a related art device, however, when a sailing quitting condition (a sailing exit condition) is satisfied (hereinafter, described as “at a change-of-mind”) by a re-depression operation of an accelerator pedal or a braking operation during the progress of an engine automatic stop, restart of the engine by a starter motor cannot be possible while an engine rotation speed having been reduced by the engine automatic stop is in a high rotation speed region. Because of this, the engine restart is carried out after waiting until the engine rotation speed is reduced to a rotation speed at which the engine restart by the starter motor can be possible. Therefore, there arises a problem of delaying a shift response from the coast-travel to a normal travel at the change-of-mind.
The present invention was made in view of the above technical problem. An object of the present invention is therefore to provide a sailing stop control method and a sailing stop control device for a vehicle which are capable of improving the shift response from the coast-travel to the normal travel at the change-of-mind at which the sailing quitting condition is satisfied during the progress of the engine automatic stop.